Electric vehicles have been available for many years. However, and due to certain limitations, the use of electric vehicles has been mainly in special applications. Recently, due to environmental considerations, as well as technological developments and advancements in the area of batteries, electric vehicles are gaining wider acceptance. In addition, and in certain regions of poor air quality, legislation has been adopted requiring that a percentage of new vehicles in these areas be electrically powered.
Electric vehicles have a number of advantages, including high efficiency, zero emissions, as well as being much quieter. The biggest drawback of an electric vehicle is that ultimately it must be recharged and accordingly it has a limited range. For many drivers, the range of an electric vehicle is sufficient and the vehicle's batteries can be recharged at the driver's residence or at a service location over night before the vehicle is driven again.
In addition, and due to technological advances in automotive designs as well as battery powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles with much greater ranges are being introduced. A Hybrid Vehicle is a vehicle that has at least two sources of energy. A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a vehicle wherein one of the sources of energy is electric and the other source of energy may be derived from a heat engine that burns diesel, gasoline or any other source of chemical energy. Accordingly, a hybrid electric vehicle may have a much greater range before its batteries need recharging. Moreover, these vehicles are also equipped with a means for charging the batteries through their onboard internal combustion engines.
One contemplated means for recharging an electric or hybrid vehicle is an electric vehicle charging station wherein single plug devices having a system for metering time or power for billing the customer are used. These systems are expensive to install as well as operate. Another problem with current methods of charging electrical vehicles at charging stations is that the connector cables connecting the charging device to the vehicle are often exposed and difficult to handle.
A further problem with charging stations is that plug-in locations are often outdoors, exposed to the elements. Weather conditions, such as rain or snow, can impede the proper and safe operation of such electrical systems, which operate at high power levels.
The buildings or housings associated with conventional charging stations are constructed in a manner such that they are not convenient to install and to relocate in the event a change of location becomes necessary. The cost to build these structures, which are generally permanent structures, is high and most contemporary charging stations are single function units providing only charging services.
Accordingly, there is a need for a quick and convenient means for providing a source of electricity to re-charge an electrically powered automobile.